Ipsen has set aside the two drug candidates it picked up from the 2023 acquisition of liver disease specialist Albireo, with one of the assets discontinued entirely.
While the prize of the $952 million Albireo buy was the already approved Bylvay, used to stop serious itching caused by liver diseases, Ipsen also picked up other potential liver meds ritivixibat (or A3907) and A2342.
Both of these candidates are no longer being actively developed by the French pharma.
“Following a strategic review of our portfolio, Ipsen made the decision to no longer pursue further development of ritivixibat,” a company spokesperson confirmed to Fierce Biotech.
An open-label phase 2 trial of ritivixibat for the chronic liver condition primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) has been terminated. The study was halted early due to recruitment troubles, according to an Ipsen document (PDF).
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Ritivixibat is an inhibitor of ileal bile acid transporter (IBAT), meant to help regulate bile levels in the liver to prevent the accumulation of compounds that cause an incessant itch in PSC and other liver diseases. Another investigational IBAT inhibitor, from Mirum Pharmaceuticals, posted a phase 2 win in PSC earlier this week.
A2342, on the other hand, is meant to inhibit sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide, a protein that helps shuttle bile out of the blood and into cells. A clinical trial summary posted by Ipsen on March 31 said that a first-in-human trial of the molecule wrapped up in September 2023, but that “there are currently no ongoing trials with A2342.”
New trials of A2342 could still be planned, the summary said, but the asset is presently not listed in Ipsen’s pipeline.
The company spokesperson did not respond to further questions from Fierce about the status of A2342.
Bylvay, the IBAT inhibitor at the center of Ipsen’s Albireo purchase, posted (PDF) 180 million euros (around $203.16 million) in sales in 2025. The pharma is now looking to expand the medicine’s reach, with a phase 3 trial in children with biliary atresia currently ongoing.
